


My blood before yours

by Lyricanna



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Blood, Implied Relationship, M/M, Magic, Pre-Canon, blood letting, leo's goth side is showing, niles is very devoted to leo, references to self harm
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 00:33:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13283160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lyricanna/pseuds/Lyricanna
Summary: Niles offers to help Leo with a ritual.





	My blood before yours

Niles rushed to Leo's side as he nearly collapsed; that last ritual had been more than he could bear. He steadied his lord until he caught his breath and stopped shaking. His arm was bloodied and Leo was paler than usual.

“You need a break,” Niles said as gently as he could.

“I'm fine,” Leo said as he rubbed his temple.

“You're doing too much and it is my job to keep you from bleeding out,” Niles reminded Leo gently. Leo shook his head; he was going to be stubborn, apparently.

“The Faceless have met with father's approval and the ritual to give them life requires blood. Besides it's not like I can just bleed you...” Leo looked at Niles as if considering something.

“Why not?” he asked. He reached for the pitcher of water and poured Leo a glass. If his lord was going to continue like this, the minimum he needed was water. Rest and healing were much more important but Leo was unlikely to see it that way.

“You can't protect me in a weakened state.”

“I need to protect you from weakening yourself too much. Besides, I know you've bled Odin before.”

Leo was shaking his head as Niles spoke. “That was an emergency situation to replenish my own magic. Odin couldn't cast a spell until the next day.”

“Is the ability to use magic a requirement?” 

“For this... no probably not,” Leo paused, assessing Niles again, weighing his options. “Why do you want to do this?”

“I hate watching you hurt yourself,” Niles replied without thinking. He winced as the words left his mouth. He was becoming increasingly honest with Leo, telling the truth instead of saying what was appropriate. He was going to get himself in trouble with that one day.

“And you'd give me your blood freely?” Leo replied. His pale face was composed, his eyes all icey professionalism.

“I'd give you anything freely, my lord,” Niles replied. He knew he could have backed out, that Leo had offered him a way, but it felt like a test. He did not fail Leo's tests.

“Not words to be said lightly to a practitioner of the dark arts. Accepted, regardless.” Leo moved to the shelves that held various magical implements, from tomes to scrolls to gems and sacred objects to dried herbs, oddly shaped bowls and ceremonial knives. Leo came back with a misericorde, a needle point knife that Niles had never seen him use. The pommel had a rune on the bottom and a red metal wire wound it's way along the handle.

“Kneel,” Leo ordered. His face was his best imitation of his brother's, all stony determination under a cast of indifference. Niles knelt, his heart beginning to race. Whatever was going to happen was going to hurt and yet he felt anticipatory excitement course through him.

“Open your mouth.” The second Niles obeyed the slim knife slipped inside his mouth and slashed at his tongue and cheek. He could taste his own blood, sweet and coppery in his mouth as he forced himself not to react. Leo reached forward with his other hand and plucked three hairs from Niles' head and began to twine them around the hilt of the misericorde. Niles watched with interest; watching Leo work magic was always fascinating, even if he didn't always understand what he did. Leo murmured a few words in the ancient tongue which made the pale silver of the blade turn bright red.

“This knife is tuned to you now,” he explained. “It won't draw blood from anyone else and it'll hold some of your energy in reserve.” Leo was completely nonchalant as he stabbed himself with the knife in demonstration; it went through his hand cleanly, without leaving a wound or any evidence of its passing. “It's an old spell,” he went on, “and rather barbaric at that, but effective for my purposes.” Niles nodded and swallowed some of the blood in his mouth.

“I'll need your shirt off to continue.” Niles opened his mouth to say something but Leo cut him off. “Just your shirt Niles.” Leo said with a pointed look. “And keep quiet.” Niles sighed, knowing not to push him and removed his cloak and shirt. Leo was applying a vulnerary to his arm in the mean time, healing away the signs of the rituals he had conducted that day. Niles continued to kneel where he was, swallowing his own blood and admiring the pleasant stinging on the inside of his mouth while he waited for Leo to finish.

In a moment, Leo was at his side with both the misericorde and an ornate bowl made of some sort of dark gem stone. He looked Niles over clinically, as if weighing and measuring him, memorizing every plane of his body, every angle and every scar. No one would ever be able to set an imposter past Leo.

“You draw with your right hand,” Leo said abruptly. “I'll have you healed after of course, but just in case, give me your left arm.”

Niles held his arm out obediently. Leo knelt down and placed the bowl underneath his outstretched arm, fussing with it's placement until it was exactly right. He then took Niles' arm in a gentle but firm grip and drew the knife down his forearm. Niles bit his lip to keep from making a sound; Leo didn't need to know how much he was enjoying this. He watched in morbid fascination as the blood began to pool and run down his arm. Leo repositioned him slightly so that the blood could be easily captured.

He stayed that way, kneeling, arm outstretched, in silence while Leo watched, face impassive. The flow of blood began to lessen and his arm began to ache from holding it out for so long.

“Hm, not quite enough,” Leo mused as Niles' arm began to shake. His muscles ached from the tension of holding steady and the cut felt like fire on his arm. “Clench your fist and then release your hand.” Niles complied, making a fist and then letting his hand unfold. At Leo's nod, he repeated the motion a few more times and the flow increased again. The bowl continued to fill and Niles began to feel a bit dizzy. But he kept on, methodically bringing more blood to the surface, knowing that Leo had already bled for his craft more than once today.

“That'll do,” Leo said after what felt like far too long. Niles let his arm fall back to his side and swayed slightly on the spot. He moved into a proper sitting position and focused on breathing slowly. Leo took the blood away and returned with the promised vulnerary. He took Niles' arm, gently this time, and slathered some of the healing potion on his arm. Niles couldn't hold back a groan as the burning feeling was replaced by the icey cold of healing.

“Your face is a mess,” Leo murmured and all Niles could do was shrug. Leo reached for a cloth and patted the blood away from Niles' lips before planting a gentle kiss on them. Niles tried to deepen the kiss but Leo had already moved before he could.

“You should drink the rest of that vulnerary while you compose yourself. We'll need to eat and then there's still another ten Faceless to be made by tomorrow afternoon.”

Niles mentally cursed himself, annoyed that Leo had noticed what a state he was in. Nothing to be done for that now, he supposed.

“As you order, so I obey,” he said with just a hint of mockery.

“So you do,” was Leo's only reply as he left the room.

 


End file.
